US President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrive for a “Namaste Trump,” event in Ahmedabad(AP)
US President Donald Trump on Saturday told a gathering in South Carolina that “it’s hard to be enthused” addressing a rally with fifteen thousand people after witnessing the crowds at Ahmedabad’s Motera Stadium earlier this week.
“I was with the Prime Minister of India, Modi. Great guy, loved by the people of India. And we had an amazing thing. And I went in, and here’s the problem. This is a big crowd. And normally I like talking about my crowds because I get the crowds like nobody, but I just got back from 140 or 50 or 60,000 people and now I’m coming here. What does this place hold, 15? It’s hard to be enthused. You understand that?” he said.
“I may never be excited again about a crowd after going to India. Think of this, they have 1.5 billion people. We have 350, so we’re doing pretty well, I’ll tell you what, but I love this crowd, and I love that crowd too. Tell you they have a great love for … They have a great love. They have a great leader, and they have a great love for the people of this country. That was really a worthwhile trip,” the US President added.
In his maiden visit to India, Donald Trump was accompanied by his wife Melania Trump and a high-level delegation. His daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner also accompanied him. During their 36-hour visit, President Trump and the first lady attended various events and visited two cities — Ahmedabad and Agra — besides the national capital of India.
Donald Trump and PM Modi at the ‘Namaste Trump’ event (White House)
In Ahmedabad, he was welcomed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Later, the US President addressed the “Namaste Trump” event at Ahmedabad’s Motera Stadium along with PM Modi, where both the leaders had hailed the growing ties between the two countries.
The Trumps then flew down to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal and finally reached New Delhi. The US President received a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday morning. Following this, he sat down with Prime Minister Modi for delegation-level talks during which three agreements were finalised.
During US President’s visit to India, Delhi witnessed large-scale violence over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. When asked about the law, Trump said he did not discuss that with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and “I want to leave that to India”. Asked about the violence in Delhi, he said, “I heard that but I didn’t discuss that with him (Modi).” At least 42 people have been killed in the clashes in the capital.